The Martian Inquisition Arc (Part 4)

Scene 46

Narrator: At the base of the shady organization.

*The business cloroid, along with a few others (including the demon that Sasha shoved her Hell Leeches into) meet in a large room with a stage at the front end. The Cloroid Boss is sitting on a large chair with a curtain behind it*

Boss: They came close to getting you but close doesn’t count for squat in this business. So let’s call it a draw. But it’s also a victory in that the divine beings did not find out where our base is. We will continue to launch surprise attacks on them.

Scene 47

Narrator: The next day.

*At the base of the heroes, Zeth, Sasha, Ralay, and Liana are gathered*

Sasha: The Hell Leeches I planted in that demon are currently somewhere underground not that far outside the Marshonia area.

Zeth: So, they aren’t just underground in how they operate. They are literally located underground too.

Sasha: That’s the only conclusion I could come up with.

Ralay: An above-ground base probably would have already been discovered by others. Nobody would find them underground.

Liana: I say that we don’t wait any longer. We need to strike them today!

Ralay: Agreed. We can’t allow them to pull off another plot that…. that cost me my little brother.

*The others look at her sadly but Zeth soon responds*

Zeth: We’ll definitely avenge Don. The hooded bastard will pay for his crimes.

Ralay: …I have had this feeling for a while but wasn’t sure if it was accurate.

Sasha: What is it?

Ralay: If their leader is a divine being, then it is likely to be Rover, the guardian deity of the cloroids.

Zeth: Wait, Rover? I know there is a bar in Marshonia called “Rover’s Bar & Grill”.

Ralay: That bar is owned by a cloroid but not by Rover himself. It’s just an honor for Rover.

Sasha: This situation would be comparable to Poleon on Earth who was the guardian deity of the zorens before they went extinct.

Liana: There is a reason for that. When a planet gets life on it, the human mortals are created in the image of the main race of divine beings. But some planets will also get mortals that are made in the image of minority races such as the Zorens on Earth and the Cloroids on Mars. Then, a guardian deity is selected from the divine minority races to give those minority mortal races representation.

Ralay: I don’t know much about Rover but he didn’t seem like a hostile person from what I have seen of him.

Zeth: This does give us some understanding so thanks for that.

Sasha: Well, now it’s time to prepare for our assault. This ends today.

Scene 48

Narrator: That afternoon.

*Zeth, Sasha, Ralay, and Liana meet outside the city of Marshonia*

Sasha: It’s beneath here.

Zeth: But how do we get down there? I guess we could try blowing up the ground with our power.

Ralay: It would be better if we went in there before causing any alerts. There must be a secret entrance somewhere.

*Close by, they see a cloroid emerge from some rocks. He walks away without seeing them*

Liana: Looks like we have our ticket in.

*They then go to check under the rocks and find their secret entrance. They go in and start climbing down a ladder*

Scene 49

*In the base, the Cloroid Boss sits on his large chair on the stage (with the curtain behind it) and is talking to his minions*

Boss: And that’s when we will strike. They won’t suspect a thing.

*A cloroid runs into the room*

Cloroid: Boss! This is bad! The divine beings have infiltrated our base!

*The boss looks shocked*

Boss: What!? How did they find our base!?

***

*Elsewhere in the base, the four divine beings have no trouble going through the base as no mortal there can stop them. They easily blow through any opposition and soon get into the room where the boss is*

*Zeth points at the boss*

Zeth: Your schemes are finished, Rover!

*Ralay looks nervous after she looks at the boss*

Ralay: That’s not Rover.

Zeth: What!?

*The boss pulls out a rocket launcher, but before he can shoot it, Zeth pins him down*

Zeth: Where is Rover!?

Boss: Do you think I would tell you monsters anything!?

*Zeth looks angered but then they all start hearing creepy and disturbing noises from behind the curtain*

Liana: What is that noise?

*Sasha walks up on the stage and then goes up to the curtains. She opens them up and they see a dark portal*

Zeth: That portal looks like the one used by the hooded man and that bird beast… I’m going in.

Sasha: It’s probably a trap.

Zeth: But it’s the only way we are going to find Rover. He needs to be taken down! I’m going!

Ralay: Sasha is right, but we can’t let Zeth go in alone. I’m going to.

Liana: Make me three.

Sasha: All right then… We’re all going in.

Boss: Hehe! You’re all going to die! I will get the last laugh!

*Zeth rips a plank of wood from the floor and bonks the boss on the head with it to knock him unconscious*

*Zeth stands up*

Zeth: Now that this nuisance is dealt with, let’s go!

*They all head into the portal*

Scene 50

*The four divine beings come out of the other end of the portal. They are in a dark dimension with a pyramid in the middle (Author’s Note: It is similar in size to the real-life Egyptian pyramids. The top of the pyramid is flat though and has an altar on it. Other structures in the area look like ancient architecture but are dark-colored instead of white. The four divine beings see a man at the top of the pyramid*

Zeth: I think we should get to know each other more… Rover.

*The view then zooms in on the man and shows that he is the hooded man. Rover takes off the hood to reveal his face. He looks just like the cloroids but has some scars on the left side of his face*

Rover: And so the time has finally come where we face in battle I see.

Ralay: You’ve done a good job using those needles to keep one step ahead of us.

Rover: Hmhmhmhm. Yes, every time you ended up with needles in your possession… that was my intention. That includes the one you took in for interrogation.

Zeth: What?

Rover: Not only can I track my needles, but I can also see through the eyes of any needle that is disguised as a living person. I knew everything you planned.

Zeth: Damn it!

Rover: Once I could no longer track the needles you had, I figured that you finally figured it out. I’m glad you all came here. I plan to kill all four of you right here.

*The view now focuses on Zeth, Sasha, Ralay, and Liana and their poses. They all look at him seriously*

Zeth: You think you can take all of us on at the same time? Then just try it!

*Zeth starts running toward the pyramid and forms a Star Shine Blast in his left hand. He releases the Star Shine Blast at Rover. Rover does not try to get out of the way, and before it reaches him, the bird beast flies in the way of it and deflects it with its tail*

Zeth: That bird monster!

Rover: You also have to deal with Bennu here.

*Some angels, demons, and humans start coming out of the abyss on Bennu’s neck. Magic red threads connect them to the abyss so they are under control*

Sasha: We’ll have to deal with them first!

Rover: How do you like them? Those angels, demons, and humans are all a part of Mars and its dimensions but slowly we have been capturing them and putting them under our control and neither of you noticed. Slow enough to avoid suspicion.

*Ralay and Liana are shaken*

Ralay: No way…

Liana: How could we let this slip under our noses…?

*Sasha looks at them*

Sasha: Get it together! As new goddesses, there was no way you were going to know everyone and have everything in check! We have to stop them!

*Ralay and Liana shake off their self-doubt and ready themselves for battle*

Ralay: Thanks, Sasha.

Liana: We needed that.

Zeth: These ones should not be any problem for us!

Rover: Oh, but they are the ones you watch over and protect, can you kill them?

Zeth: As stated with Don, death is preferable to being puppets!

*Zeth forms some Star Shards. Sasha charges magic in her right hand and readies Hell Bombs. Ralay forms a bunch of stars and, from there, she has the stars come together to form a sword which she wields with her left hand. Liana puts her hands close together and a fire starts to form*

Zeth: Star Shards!

Sasha: Hell Bombs!

Ralay: Cosmic Sword!

Liana: Scorched Land!

*Zeth releases his Star Shards which cuts up some of the puppets. Sasha flicks her Hell Bombs at some of the puppets which blows them up. Ralay slashes some of the puppets with her cosmic sword and the slash also releases energy and blows through more puppets*

Narrator: Ralay’s Magic – Cosmic Formation.

*For Liana, powerful flames rise up from the ground under some of the puppets. The flames grab and incinerate them*

Narrator: Liana’s Magic – Hell Flames.

Ralay and Liana: Forgive us. We wish there was another way to save you.

*All of the puppets are defeated. The four divine beings turn their sights on Rover and Bennu who sit atop the pyramid*

Zeth: All that’s left are you two.

Rover: Killing your own followers without any hesitation. All of you showed your true colors.

Sasha: No, it shows that you’re a piece of trash for making them into puppets with no way out!

*Rover gives them a stern look after that comment as the four of them start running up the pyramid*

Rover: We will see just who are the ones that are truly trash.

*Rover charges his magic and a green aura starts to form around his body. He slams his right arm down on the floor at the altar at the top of the pyramid*

Zeth: What is he doing?

*Suddenly, green magic energy bursts out of the side of the pyramid they are running up. They are all hit by the green energy and knocked down to the bottom of the pyramid*

Sasha: Zeth, that’s…

Zeth: Yeah… It’s Aura Magic.

Liana: But I thought his magic would involve needles.

Rover: Ah, so you’ve never seen anything like this. My magic is advanced to the point that I can outright infuse objects with my aura like it’s nothing.

Ralay: Then that explains the power of the needles.

Zeth: It’s not going to be easy getting to him then.

Rover: You cannot pass my Aura Rupture.

Zeth: Let’s start running again, but I want the three of you to close your eyes while we do.

Ralay: Why?

Zeth: I’m going to blind him but I don’t want you to be blinded too. Let’s go.

*They start running up the pyramid again. Sasha, Ralay, and Liana have their eyes closed*

Rover: You can’t reach me.

*Rover tries to do Aura Rupture again*

Zeth: Starlight Shield!

*Zeth activates his Starlight Shield which releases an initial blinding light that stops Rover from using his attack*

Rover: Ah, I can’t see!

Zeth: I knew it would work!

*However, Bennu starts flying down toward them*

Zeth: Damn. That thing doesn’t have eyes so it can’t be blinded.

*Bennu charges magic energy in its tail*

Zeth: Shit!

*Before it can hit Zeth, Sasha jumps and grabs onto it while in her Hell Ape form*

Sasha: I got this!

*Sasha then slams Bennu all the way down to the ground at the bottom of the pyramid*

Zeth: Thanks, Sasha!

*Zeth, Ralay, and Liana continue to the top of the pyramid as Rover has recovered from being blinded and prepares an attack. Rover thrusts his hands forward to release a crashing wave of energy down at them*

*Ralay forms a lot of stars and has them form a wall*

Ralay: Cosmic Wall!

*The wall stops the magic energy from reaching them. Zeth and Liana then jump over the wall of stars*

*Zeth goes into Raging Star Mode and punches Rover hard in the face. As he does, Liana creates a wall of fire that Rover’s body is knocked back through which covers his body*

Ralay: Nice!

***

*Meanwhile, back on the ground at the bottom of the pyramid, Sasha has returned to her normal form*

Sasha: Sorry, but I can’t let you assist Rover. I don’t know what exactly you are but you are going to die.

*Sasha starts to change her form. Her skin turns darker. Her eyes start glowing. Her muscle mass slightly increases and her veins pop more. Her hair starts to become made of purple flames. She has changed into her Ultensmite form*

Sasha: I can promise you this, it will hurt.

*Bennu starts releasing multiple Star Shine Blast attacks from the abyss of its neck and Sasha starts dodging them*

Sasha: Those are Star Shine Blasts! But how!? That’s exclusive to Light Divine Beings who have Star Magic! It’s coming out of that darkness on its neck…

*Sasha’s eyes open wide*

Sasha: Wait! This reminds me of what Zeth told me about Korobu! He could use the abyss to take peoples’ powers and that the abyss was a part of the Abyss Deity. Is this the same thing?

*Sasha gets close to Bennu and releases a wave of purple flames. The flame wave damages Bennu. Sasha then kicks it for further damage*

*Bennu flies away to get away from further attacks. It then flies upward and releases a barrage of ice shards at Sasha from its abyss. Sasha dodges them as she runs forward*

Sasha: You’re going to have to do better than that!

*Sasha summons a Hell Vulture and jumps on it and it starts flying toward Bennu*

***

*Back with the others, Rover and Zeth clash with their punches*

Zeth: Just give up! You can’t defeat us!

*Rover grins*

Rover: I know.

*Rover’s words take Zeth by surprise*

*Ralay and Liana are approaching to attack Rover, but he releases a wave of aura in all directions around him which hits Zeth, Ralay, and Liana and blows them back*

Rover: I knew I couldn’t out-power you. That’s why I chose separation tactics to take you all one by one. It almost worked on you too. You would have made a valuable addition to the collection. I think it’s time…

*Bennu flies over toward Rover. Sasha chases after it on her Hell Vulture*

Sasha: You’re not getting away!

Rover: Now, witness as I cross with the abyss!! Come, Bennu!!

*A magical arrow shoots out of Bennu’s abyss at a fast speed and hits Sasha’s Hell Vulture which sends it down to the ground dead. Sasha has to jump off*

Ralay: What’s he going to do!?

Zeth: We better not wait to find out!

*Zeth forms a Super Nova star and throws it at Rover and Bennu. It causes a large explosion*

Sasha: Did it get them!?

*Once the smoke clears, there is a large crater but above the crater is a large sphere of black abyss*

Liana: What happened!? What is that!?

Zeth: It’s… an abyss!

*Something starts coming out of the abyss and it’s Rover, but he has some of the body features of Bennu which includes the tail, the wings, and the dark gray skin*

Rover: Do you like it? I have combined myself with Bennu! The Abyss Deity would be pleased with me!

Zeth: The Abyss Deity!? But he’s sealed away! That’s what Korobu told me! How could the Abyss Deity be pleased with you!?

Rover: The Abyss Deity is sealed away but his power still lingers! I believe he was the one who created Bennu.

Sasha: That is concerning…

Ralay: I’ve heard of the Abyss Deity but know nothing of him.

Liana: All that can be said is we have to take him out right here, right now!

Rover: I may not be able to take people into the abyss but I have access to the abilities that Bennu has already taken in. Are you ready?

*Rover starts glowing yellow. He then instantly reaches Zeth and has his right hand out forward. Rover smiles as he forms a Shooting Star attack encased with his green aura magic. Zeth opens his eyes wide as Rover releases the attack. It hits Zeth and pushes him a far distance away before exploding with a lot of energy*

Sasha: No!!

Ralay: You’ll pay for that!

Rover: You three better worry about yourselves.

*Rover glows yellow again. He instantly reaches Sasha and punches her in the chin to put her in pain and then kicks her back. He then turns his attention to Ralay and instantly reaches her, but Ralay is able to block his punch with her Cosmic Sword*

Rover: You were able to block that instant attack? Impressive.

Ralay: I’m not a Light Goddess for nothing!

*Liana attacks Rover with a jumping thrust-kick to knock him away from Ralay*

Liana: Fire Storm!

*Bursts of fire start coming down toward Rover from above and Liana directs them with the movements of her arms. Rover gets hit by some of them and starts taking damage. As the fire burns on him, he is able to get close to Liana and grabs her by the face. He drags her head across the ground as he moves and then he kicks her away*

*Rover stops the fire by releasing water magic from his body*

*Ralay quickly moves in and slashes Rover from behind with her Cosmic Sword which leaves a slash wound on his back, but then the ground below her starts to collapse and a current of air starts to suck her into the collapsed ground*

Ralay: What!?

*Rover smirks*

Rover: It’s Ground Formation Magic.

*Rover jumps above Ralay and then does a downward thrusting kick. He hits her hard enough to fully knock her down into the collapsed hole in the ground*

Rover: Now for Rock Formation Magic!

*Rover uses his magic to form a lot of strong rocks and starts launching them all into the hole in the ground until it’s completely filled*

Rover: I dug a grave for you. How nice of me.

*Sasha returns to the fight by rushing toward Rover and she is in her True Demonic Release but is no longer in her Ultensmite form. She starts trying to rapidly punch Rover. Her attacks are quick and fierce. Rover is able to block them with his arm, but only barely*

*Sasha then has her index and middle fingers on her right hand pointed straight and tries to stab Rover with them. He tries to move his body out of the way but her fingers scrape by the side of his left shoulder. The stab attempt tears off part of his skin on the shoulder. He feels the pain*

*Liana takes advantage by coming from behind Rover and elbows him in the back which causes him more pain. Sasha attempts the stab attack again but Rover quickly wraps his tail around Liana and swings her around to his front side and slams her into Sasha which knocks them both away as he unwraps Liana*

*Sasha’s stab attack actually did pierce Rover’s chest but did not reach his heart before Liana was swung into her. Blood flows out of the pierced point and Rover puts his hand over it in pain*

Rover: *huff huff* Even combined with Bennu, fighting four god-level opponents at the same time is a difficult task. But on that note, where is Zeth? My attack earlier was not enough to kill him. But if it comes to it, I will unleash my one-time use trump card.

*Sasha and Liana stand up*

Sasha: I almost had him!

Liana: He will fall eventually.

*The ground where Ralay was buried starts to shake and the rocks covering the hole burst as Ralay launches herself out of the hole*

Ralay: *huff huff* Sorry, I’m back in the action.

*Rover looks at the three of them and starts flying upward and stays flying in place once he reaches high enough*

***

*Elsewhere, someone moves an ancient-looking pillar out of the way. It is Zeth. Rover’s attack has left him with wounds on his body*

Zeth: *huff huff* That attack was powerful. His power is definitely on our level now that he has combined with Bennu. This can’t go on for any longer.

*Zeth’s body starts glowing gold and white. A smoky substance starts coming off his body and then his aura becomes supercharged and takes the shape of a winged angel for a moment before returning to its normal shape. Zeth has started using Soul Power*

***

*Back with Rover, Sasha, Ralay, and Liana. Rover is still up in the air with his wings keeping him afloat. He holds out his hands and starts using magic to form something*

Rover: I will blast you all away with this attack.

*But suddenly, Zeth is launching toward him in the air and comes at him like a missile. Rover isn’t able to get out of the way, allowing Zeth to gut-punch Rover so hard that his fist pushes Rover’s back outwards. Rover vomits up a ton of blood from the attack with his eyes wide open, and his body is sent flying back into the pyramid. His body hits the pyramid with enough force that he breaks through it on one end and still blows through the other end until his body starts dragging across the ground while flopping around*

*When his body finally comes to a stop, he starts coughing up more blood*

Rover: That almost killed me! He has probably done serious internal harm to my body! I have no choice but to use my trump card!

***

*Back with the heroes. Zeth lands on the ground after landing his attack on Rover*

Ralay: So that’s your Soul Power…

Liana: I can tell just how much power it has with the way you hit him! Incredible!

Sasha: So, you deemed this a situation that Soul Power is necessary?

Zeth: Yeah. His threat level is at least that of Korobu’s. If he comes back from that attack, I want you to activate Soul Power as well.

Sasha: All right, I will.

Ralay: I don’t know if he will. It looked like he vomited up all of his insides.

Liana: He’s probably nothing more than a corpse now.

*However, Rover is then seen flying onto the top of the pyramid*

Ralay: He really is still alive!

Zeth: Damn…

Rover: I have never taken a hit that hard before. You live up to your reputation, Light Prince Zeth of Earth. Now, I shall use my trump card on you!

*The heroes all look concerned as Rover starts glowing gold and white*

Zeth: Start using Soul Power, Sasha!

Sasha: Right!

*Zeth launches himself toward Rover as a smoky substance starts coming off his body. Rover’s aura becomes supercharged and briefly takes the shape of a winged angel before returning to its normal shape*

*Zeth’s launching attack loses its momentum as he has a look of shock about what he is seeing*

Zeth: It can’t be…!!

*Rover kicks Zeth down to the ground by the others. His body landing on the ground has enough force to create a small crater. Zeth coughs a bit before he shouts*

Zeth: No way!

*Sasha has a completely shocked face as her Soul Power finishes activating. She glows black and red. A smoky substance comes off of her body. Her aura briefly takes the shape of a monstrous demon before returning to its normal shape*

Sasha: That looks exactly like Zeth’s Soul Power!

Rover: Hmhmhmhmhm. You see, even though Bennu failed to take you into the abyss, he was able to partially take your abilities. That includes your Soul Power. Though, because he couldn’t take you into the abyss, this is only a one-time use power. But you will be dead before it runs out.

*Rover smirks*

Rover: Are you ready to continue?

Zeth: Ralay. Liana. Please stay back.

Sasha: With Soul Power, his power greatly eclipses yours.

Ralay: …All right. But we will step in to help if we see that you need it.

Liana: We won’t sit back if you are in trouble.

Zeth: I understand—

Sasha: He’s attacking!

*Rover starts running down the side of the pyramid*

Zeth: Let’s go!

*Zeth and Sasha start rushing toward Rover*

Rover: Soul Aura Smash!

*Rover’s soul-powered aura forms into two giant hands above Zeth and Sasha. He tries to slam them down on them. Zeth and Sasha are both able to get out of the way to avoid them, however, Rover is able to get close to Sasha immediately. Rover does a few quick punches before putting his hands together and slamming them down on her to pound her down into the ground*

*Immediately after that, Rover is hit by Zeth’s Soul Shine Blast which damages him and knocks him back a bit. Zeth then gets close and lands a powerful punch on Rover’s face*

Zeth: I can promise you this! You won’t win!!

*Zeth tries to charge his magic to do a point-blank magic attack with his left hand but Rover recovers from Zeth’s punch and grabs onto Zeth’s left arm. Rover gut-punches him, followed by a punch to the chin, and then a swipe-kick to knock him away*

Rover: Have a taste of your own attack.

*Rover releases a Soul Shine Blast at Zeth and lands a direct hit*

Zeth: Ahh! Damn it!

*The ground beneath Rover begins to rumble. Sasha bursts out of the ground and does an upwards thrust-kick to Rover’s chin. As they are both going upward into the air, Sasha starts a fury of more kicks (while she is still technically upside down) and then grabs a hold of Rover’s legs with her hands*

*Sasha then slams Rover down to the ground and jumps away as he is then pushed far back against a Soul Shooting Star which then explodes in the distance. Zeth and Sasha are side-by-side running toward the explosion*

*Rover recovers from the attacks and starts jumping back continuously as Zeth and Sasha start continuously jumping after him. The three of them start moving fast enough to leave glowing trails of soul residue behind them*

Rover: You think you can win but I have everything I need to beat both of you!

*Zeth and Sasha catch up to him*

Zeth: Enough talking!

Sasha: We are going to crush you!

*Zeth tries to punch Rover but he blocks it with his right arm. Sasha lands a punch on the right side of Rover’s face, and then Rover retaliates by grabbing onto their faces and slamming their heads together*

*Rover then releases a blue bubble from his mouth. It bursts as Rover lets go of them and blows them both back while doing damage*

*Rover then starts flying up in the air*

Rover: One of the demons that Bennu took into the abyss was obsessed with their Explosion Magic.

*Rover releases a chain from each hand that have magic orbs on them and they all fall along where Zeth and Sasha are*

Rover: Soul Chain Explosions!

*The magic orbs on the chains start causing chain reactions of soul-powered explosions, but out of the smoke comes Sasha (with more wounds from the explosion attack) flying up on top of a Hell Vulture toward Rover*

Rover: You can’t hit me!

*Rover begins to charge up a magic attack but soul-powered Star Shards come flying up from underground right below Rover. They slice into his arm and wound it before he gets his attack off*

*Sasha jumps off the Hell Vulture and grabs onto one of Rover’s wings*

Rover: What are you doing!?

*Sasha has a confident sadistic smile*

Sasha: Just giving you a makeover.

*Sasha pulls hard and rips off Rover’s right wing*

*Rover is no longer able to fly and starts falling to the ground. He hits Sasha away using his tail before she is able to do any more damage*

*Sasha stands by Zeth. Both of them have a lot of wounds from the fight so far*

*When Rover starts to stand on his feet again, he feels the pain of the damage done to his internal organs from Zeth’s earlier gut-punch*

Rover: (Thinking) I have to end this before I internally fall apart! It can’t be understated just how much damage Zeth’s punch did! A combination attack with my Aura Magic and the Combustion Magic that Bennu acquired will do the job!

*Rover starts charging his magic*

Rover: Soon, you all will be nothing more than a pile of ashes!

*Rover’s Aura Magic begins to cover a wide area*

Rover: Become ashes! Soul Aura Combustion!

*Zeth and Sasha both open their eyes wide as they realize what this attack is going to do. The entire area covered by Rover’s aura magic instantaneously combusts*

Rover: When this fire goes out, you will be nothing but ashes!

*Rover then notices something after his aura magic combusts for about 10 seconds. The flames of his aura’s combustion are starting to be neutralized*

Rover: What!?

*Another source of flames is pushing back his aura’s combustion flames*

*Liana is about 10 feet in front of Zeth and Sasha. She looks heavily burned but her flames are stopping the aura combustion flames*

*Five Cosmic Walls were formed around Zeth and Sasha (1 in front of them, 2 to the sides, 1 behind, and 1 above). The Cosmic Walls are starting to fall apart because of the flames but they protected Zeth and Sasha. However, Ralay was also in the area and also got heavily burned by the flames*

Zeth: Why did you do this!?

Ralay: *huff huff* We said we’d help if we saw that you needed it. We had to protect the two of you at all costs!

Liana: *huff huff* Having a vast instinctual knowledge of flames, I could tell he was going to do a fire-based attack. His flames are more powerful than mine thanks to his Soul Power but he isn’t controlling them so I can push them back with my flames!

*Rover is angered as his flames dissipate*

Rover: I should have taken a moment to finish the both of you off first.

*Ralay and Liana collapse from their injuries and just barely stay conscious*

Ralay: You have to… win.

Liana: Finish him now…

*Zeth and Sasha are angered and look at Rover*

Zeth: There’s something you should know.

Sasha: You may be using my husband’s Soul Power…

*Almost instantly, Sasha gets in point-blank range of Rover and gut-punches him. He coughs up a lot of blood*

Sasha: …but you’re nothing but a cheap imitation! No imitation compares to his real soul!

*Zeth then jump-swipe-kicks Rover, knocking him back to the base of the pyramid. Zeth and Sasha then do an arched jump toward Rover and attempt to do a downwards-thrusting punch on him, but he is able to get up and jump out of the way*

*Rover starts continuously jumping up the side of the pyramid until he reaches the top*

Rover: This isn’t over!

*Rover forms a sphere of aura and then forms Soul Super Nova stars inside them. Zeth and Sasha charge up their magic as he does this*

Zeth: Oh, I can promise you this! This fight is very much over!

*Zeth forms a Soul Super Nova star in his left hand*

Zeth: Sasha, it’s time for a combination attack!

Sasha: I like where this is going!

*Sasha starts adding her own magic onto the Soul Super Nova star. The outer part of the star starts taking the shape of a monstrous demon head with angel wings coming out of the back of it. They both hold onto the supernova star (Zeth with his left hand and Sasha with her right hand)*

*Meanwhile, Rover has fused his two super nova stars together with the help of the aura surrounding them*

*Zeth looks at Sasha*

Zeth: Ready?

Sasha: Yeah!

Rover: I’ll blow up everything if that’s what it takes to win! I will be victorious in this battle! Giant Aura Soul Super Nova!!

*Rover releases his giant supernova down toward Zeth and Sasha*

Zeth: Here we go!!

Zeth and Sasha: Heavenly Demon Soul Super Nova!!

*They release their supernova and the monstrous demon head shape of it looks like it wants to obliterate anything in its path. It zooms right toward Rover’s supernova and makes contact with it*

*They struggle against each other for a bit, but then, Zeth’s and Sasha’s supernova starts to overwhelm Rover’s. It smiles demonically and releases demonic energy (both the smile and the demonic energy seep through Rover’s supernova so he is able to see them) as it pushes back toward Rover. He wants to escape but he can’t fly and his internal pain is flaring up again*

Rover: My body is at its limit!! This can’t be!! With Bennu, I shouldn’t lose!!

*The supernova reaches Rover and then a massive explosion goes off as Zeth picks up Ralay and Sasha picks up Liana as they get away from the blast zone. The explosion is so large that it engulfs the entire pyramid*

*Rover is getting destroyed by the explosion and a rift begins to form on his body*

Rover: Nooooooooooo!!!!

*When the explosion clears, there is nothing left of the pyramid except for bits and pieces of it. A large crater has formed where it once was. Rover is dead in the crater but the rift on his body grows larger until an abyss forms from the rift and splits his body back into the separated Rover and Bennu. However, both of them are dead*

*Zeth and Sasha look into the crater*

Sasha: Yep, they’re dead.

Zeth: Good riddance.

*They end their Soul Power and go back to Ralay and Liana*

Zeth: We need to get you both medical attention immediately.

*Ralay and Liana smile in pain*

Liana: These burns are nothing…

Ralay: The important thing is you won…

Sasha: We can celebrate later. Let’s go back to Mars now.

*Zeth picks up Ralay while Sasha picks up Liana and they walk back to the portal they came out of in the dimension*

*Meanwhile, back at Rover’s and Bennu’s dead bodies, Bennu’s body starts turning to ash*

Scene 51

Narrator: 1 week later.

*A memorial service for Don is being held in Mars’s Heaven. Ralay and Liana are wrapped in a lot of bandages and are in wheelchairs (since their feet also got burns, they can’t stand on them during the recovery process). Zeth and Sasha stand next to them. Many angels and demons are in attendance*

*Don has received a grave and it is decorated with plants and flowers around it*

Ralay: Rest easy, little brother. You’ll be good as new in 100,000 years.

Zeth: Our friendship will last even through this. When you return from Divine Restoration, I know you won’t be able to return to Mars… but if they allow it, come to Earth and let’s get some drinks.

Sasha: Thank you for being a great friend to Zeth.

Liana: As my best friend’s little brother, you felt like my little brother too.

*Tears flow down Zeth’s face and he does a salute*

Zeth: See you then… Don.

*Ralay looks at Zeth and Sasha*

Ralay: Now that the problem has been solved… are you two planning to leave early?

*They look at her*

Sasha: We plan to stay the whole 10 years.

Zeth: And we certainly can’t leave while you two are in wheelchairs.

Liana: I don’t think we will be wheelchaired for too long.

Ralay: And from what the doctors told us, we are not likely to receive permanent scars on our bodies.

Zeth: That’s good to hear.

*Zeth looks up at the sky and the view starts to zoom out*

Scene 52

*The view then starts zooming in somewhere else. It is back in that dark dimension. The focus is on the crater where Rover’s dead body and the ashes of Bennu’s body remain. Someone walks up to Bennu’s ashes but only the legs are seen. The person is wearing long black pants and brown boots. A baby chick comes out of the ashes. It looks like a baby version of Bennu. With the focus still on the baby chick, the person’s hand picks it up. The hand is not a cloroid hand but a human-like hand. The hand is albino white in color. The chick stands on the person’s hand, chirping. The person finally talks*

???: This seemed like a promising experiment but Rover failed. Little do they know, Bennu, that you are a phoenix. You die and are almost immediately reborn as a baby. Apparently, Earth’s Heaven has a phoenix too. One named Sonzen. It looks like they destroyed the great pyramid here though. Fortunately, there are other pyramids for us to use. Now then, Bennu, I shall be taking you back. There are more experiments to come.

Scene 53

Narrator: 8 years later.

*It is the evening hours and the sun is starting to set. Ralay and Liana (who are now fully healed and no longer in wheelchairs), along with many angels and demons behind them, stand facing Zeth and Sasha at the aircraft landing zone. Their ship is preparing to take off*

Sasha: And so, our time here has come to an end.

Ralay: I’m going to miss both of you. We became great friends.

Zeth: We feel the same.

Liana: We can always see each other in the future. Maybe we will even visit Earth.

Sasha: That would be great.

*Tears start flowing down Ralay’s face*

Zeth: Ralay?

Ralay: Just… Thank you. Thank you so much for what you have done! Both of you saved Mars! Who knows what would have become of Mars if Rover gained control?

*Zeth, Sasha, and Liana all smile*

Zeth: We were happy to help.

Sasha: This is only the beginning of the relationship between Earth and Mars.

Zeth: Well, see ya.

*Zeth and Sasha turn around and start boarding their ship as Ralay and Liana smile with teeth-showing grins as the sun in its early setting state leaves the area orange*

Ralay: You two really are something.

Liana: They certainly have left me inspired.

*The ship then takes off as Ralay, Liana, and the many angels and demons watch on*

Scene 54

*Zeth and Sasha are in their ship as it flies through space*

*Zeth looks out the window*

Sasha: Looking out the window a lot just like on the way here, I see.

Zeth: I thought I was completely fine but now that we’ve left Mars, I find Don’s death by my hands to… hurt again. I have the power to take down any foe we have faced but I still couldn’t save Don’s life. But you don’t need to worry about me. Time heals all wounds. It’s been 8 years. That may not be enough time but at some point, enough time will have passed.

Sasha: Just know that if you ever need to vent and let it all out, I will always be willing to listen.

Zeth: Thanks. And there is something else I’ve been thinking about as I look out at space.

Sasha: What is it?

Zeth: All of those stars are suns. All are part of different solar systems that have planets. Some of those planets have life and their own Heaven and Hell. It’s a vast galaxy out there. I would love to know more about them.

Sasha: Maybe in the future, we will get that chance.

Scene 55

Narrator: 6 months later. 11 total years have passed since Zeth and Sasha left Earth.

*Zeth and Sasha are getting off the ship now that it has landed on Earth. They are greeted by Harmona, Zaydra, Zenfaro, Emily, Joe, Kurt, Keith, and Josh*

Harmona: So, how was it? Did you make any great friends while you were there?

*Her question causes Zeth to look down with a little sadness*

Sasha: It’s not a good idea to bring up that topic for right now.

Zeth: No. It’s fine. Just give me a moment.

*Zeth pauses for a moment and the others look nervous*

Zeth: Overall, everything went great. We met the Light Goddess, Ralay, and the Dark Goddess, Liana. They are only a few thousand years older than us. We also met Ralay’s younger brother, Don. We became great friends with the three of them. Unfortunately, there was a plot to overthrow Ralay and Liana. We were able to stop it but, in the process, Don was killed… by me.

*The others look shocked*

Zaydra: You killed a friend!?

Zeth: Let me explain the full story.

*Zeth explains the whole story to the others*

Zeth: And that’s the full story.

Harmona: Zeth, I… I’m sorry that you had to experience that.

Emily: Even though it was the right decision, it still ended up being your hands that had his blood on it. That’s rough.

Zaydra: But the thing that concerns me the most is this Bennu creature. You mentioned it had abyss powers like Korobu. How did something like that end up on Mars?

Joe: Well, it’s dead now, right? Does it really matter?

Kurt: The point she was making is not the current threat that it poses but why and how was it even there. It didn’t sound like Rover was the reason.

Harmona: Perhaps that is something we will look into later. Right now, Zeth and Sasha are probably exhausted from their long trip so let’s relax. And Zeth, is there anything you need? I don’t want you to suffer from PTSD.

Zeth: No, Mom, I told Sasha this already but time heals all wounds. I’m at the point where I have accepted that I made the right decision. I just need some more time to fully accept that there was nothing else I could have done. The what-ifs are what haunt me.

Harmona: Okay. Just take it easy and rest your mind for a while.

Scene 56

*At some point later, Zeth and Sasha are on Earth sitting in beach chairs on the beach as the sun is setting. Zeth is shirtless and wearing swim trunks. Sasha is wearing a two-piece bikini*

Zeth: It’s so nice just sitting out here on the beach here with my beautiful wife.

Sasha: It’s so peaceful. It’s the perfect place to relax with my handsome husband.

Zeth: We did get here pretty late in the day though.

Sasha: It’s fine. We can sit out here even into the night and then start stargazing.

*Zeth leans back in his chair*

Zeth: Okay, let’s do it!

*Sasha also leans back in her chair*

Sasha: Welcome, peaceful night.

*The view then starts zooming out to the evening sky as the sun sets on the horizon*

END OF ARC

To be Continued in Chapter 617: Foreboding

Arc Completed: March 20th, 2019

Anyway, the next chapter I'm posting is another one-shot chapter. After that, regular chapter-to-chapter posting will resume.

Chapter titles for the chapters covered in this part:

Chapter 609: The Cloroid Base

Chapter 610: Final Battle Against Rover

Chapter 611: Bennu's Similarity

Chapter 612: The Abyss Fusion

Chapter 613: Rover's Trump Card

Chapter 614: Soul Power Battle

Chapter 615: Rover's Last Stand

Chapter 616: The End of the Inquisition